Compartment and adjustable stool assembly

ABSTRACT

N ADJUSTABLE STOOL ASSEMBLY, PARTICULARLY FOR USE IN AN AUTOMATIC PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO, WHICH INCLUDES A VERTICALLY EXTENDING PILLAR CONNECTED TO AN ARM LOCATING IT IN POSITION WITH RESPECT TO A FIXED SUPPORT WHICH, WHERE THE ARM IS USED IN A PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO IS THE COMPARTMENT WHICH IS ARRANFED TO HOUSE THE PHOTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS. THE PILLAR HAS AFFIXED TO ITS UPPER END A SEAT, THE HEIGHT OF WHICH IS ADJUSTABLE, AND TO ITS LOWER END A BASE MEMBER WHICH CAN BE LOWERED TO THE FLOOR OR OTHER SUPPORTING SURFACE, TO SUPPORT THE PILLAR.

Jan. 12," 1971 c, w. CLARK 3,554,626

COMPARTMENT AND ADJUSTABLE STOOL ASSEMBLY Filed Nov. 15. 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Canine; \huum (man y an MP-L ATTORNEYS c. w. CLARK COMPARTMENT AND ADJUSTABLE STOOL ASSEMBLY Filed Nov. 15, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet z INVENTOR CHARms ll-MAM CLARK M warm ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,554,626 COMPARTMENT AND ADJUSTABLE STOOL ASSEMBLY Charles W. Clark, Kings Grove, Maidenhead, Berkshire, England Filed Nov. 15, 1968, Ser. No. 776,060 Claims priority, applicatsitzmzgaeit Britain, Nov. 16, 1967,

7 Int. Cl. A47b 83/00 US. Cl. 312-235 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to adjustable stools and is more particularly, but not exclusively, concerned with an adjustable stool for use in an automatic photographic studio.

In an automatic photographic studio automatic photographic apparatus is arranged to be brought into operation by actuation of initiating mechanism and, upon such actuation, as by the insertion of a coin in a slot, applies to a piece of photo-sensitive sheet material disposed in an exposure position one or more latent images of a subject occupying an appropriate position, the photosensitive sheet material then being passed through treatment apparatus to develop and fix the image and finally being delivered as a finished photograph.

The studio is normally in the form of a booth divided into two compartments, one housing the automatic photographic apparatus and the other housing an adjustable stool assembly upon which a subject can sit in an appropriate position.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an adjustable stool assembly which will be particularly suitable for use in such an automatic photographic studio.

An adjustable stool assembly according to the present invention comprises a vertically extending pillar connected to an arm locating it in position with respect to a fixed support, a seat the height of which is adjustable, supported from the upper end of the pillar, and a base member connected to the lower end of the pillar and arranged so that it can be lowered to engage the floor or other supporting surface to support the pillar.

In an automatic photographic studio the compartment housing the stool is normally in the form of a cubicle having at least one side wall and a back wall opposite the part of the cubicle housing the automatic photographic apparatus, the adjustable stool assembly being supported at least partially on the floor of the cubicle and rigidly secured to the back or side wall.

With a stool assembly according to the present invention it is thus possible to dispense with the side and back walls which have hitherto served to secure the stool in the appropriate position, and which may be replaced by a curtain, since the stool can be maintained in the required predetermined position, by securing the arm connected to the pillar assembly to the part of the studio housing the photographic apparatus.

Preferably the seat is in screw-threaded engagement with the upper end of'the pillar while the base member 3,554,626 Patented Jan. 12, 1971 ice is in screw-threaded engagement with the lower end of the pillar. Conveniently the pillar is internally threaded in which case it is preferably provided with a screw-threaded bore extending axially therethrough.

According to one aspect of the present invention an automatic photographic studio includes a compartment adapted to house automatic photographic apparatus and an adjustable stool assembly comprising a pillar rigidly connected to an arm extending from and rigidly secured to the said compartment, a seat, the height of which is adjustable, connected to the upper end of the pillar and a base connected to the lower end of the pillar and arranged so that it can be lowered to engage the floor or other supporting structure to support the pillar.

According to another aspect of the present invention an automatic photographic studio includes a compartment adapted to house automatic photographic apparatus and an adjustable stool assembly according to the invention which is rigidly secured to the said compartment by the locating arm.

The arm may be rigidly secured to a frame member of the said compartment, and the arm may be of tubular cross-section and provided with a stud arranged to extend through an opening in the frame member and by means of which it is secured to the frame member.

The invention may be carried into practice in various ways and one specific embodiment will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of an automatic photographic studio incorporating an adjustable stool assembly according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a cross-section through the stool assembly shown in FIG. I, viewed in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1, and

FIG. 4 is a cross-section through a frame member of the studio where an arm extending from the stool assembly is connected to it.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 the automatic photographic studio comprises a closed compartment 1 housing a camera assembly and treatment apparatus, which may for example be of the kind referred to in the present applicants British patent specification No. 1,053,854, and an open compartment 2 for the subject. The compartment 1 includes four vertically extending square section frame members 3, 4; 5 and 6 at its four corners which are rigidly connected at their lower ends to a base (not shown) and at their upper ends to a roof 7. The sides of the compartment 1 are formed by sheets of rigid material 3A, 4A, 5A, and 6A (for example plastics material) extending between and connected to the frame members 3, 4, 5 and 6. The roof 7 overhangs the compartment 2 and has suspended from its edges a curtain rail 8 to which is connected a curtain 9 arranged when drawn to extend around the whole of the periphery so that the head of a subject can be screened off.

The three vertically extending frame members 3, 5

and 6 are of the same dimensions in cross-section while the frame member 4 is double the cross-sectional area of the other frame members.

A stool assembly indicated generally at 10 is positioned centrally in front of the compartment 1 (i.e. spaced from side 4A) and is secured in position by two L shaped arms 12 extending from the compartment 1. The arms 12 one of which is shown more clearly in FIG. 4, are each of tubular cross-section and have fixed to their ends adjacent the compartment 1 axially extending screwthreaded studs 15. The screw-threaded studs 15 extend through bores 18 in the frame member 4 and are secured in position in the frame member by means of nuts 16, the

shoulders 17 formed between the studs and the ends of the arms 13 abutting against the side '4A.

The arms 13 are connected as by welding to a vertically extending pillar 20 of the stool assembly 10. The pillar 20 has an internally screw-threaded bore 21 extending through it, in screw-threaded engagement with the upper end of which is a shaft 22 supporting a seat 23. A shaft 24 is in screw-threaded engagement with the lower end of the bore 21 and has connected to its lower end a base member 25.

When the studio is erected on site the arms 12 are se cured to the frame member 4 by nuts 16. The base member 25 is then rotated until it abuts against the floor, in which position it supports the pillar 20. The seat 23 can be rotated to adjust its height so that a subject can sit at the correct height in relation to the cameras.

The stool assembly ma be used for other applications, for example it may be incorporated in garden furniture where a table may have extending from it one or more such stool assemblies, the arms connecting them to the table being pivotally mounted to the table at their inner ends so that, when not in use, they can be folded under the table and hence protected from the weather. It will be appreciated that the support for the table and the stool need not be on the same level.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An automatic photographic studio including:

a closed camera compartment having a floor-engaging bottom having a boundary which in congruent with the sides of the compartment;

a roof which extends beyond one side of the camera compartment to form an overhang;

visual screening means suspended from the roof to enclose, with the said one side of the camera compartment, a sitters compartment; and 7 an adjustable stool assembly for a sitter in the sitters compartment and comprising an arm extending from and rigidly and releasably secured to the camera compartment, a pillar rigidly secured to the arm, a seat, the height of which is adjustable, connected to the upper end of the pillar, and a floor-engaging base member which is connected to the lower end of the pillar and is adjustable in height relative to the pillar.

2. An automatic photographic studio as claimed in claim 1 in which the arm is of tubular cross-section and is provided with a stud arranged to extend through an opening in the frame member and by means of which it is secured to the frame member.

3. An automatic photographic studio as claimed in claim 1 in which the pillar has a screw-threaded bore extending axially therethrough and the seat and the base member each includes a screw-threaded stem screwed into said bore References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,220,578 3/1917 Wise 108-139 1,273,354 7/1918 Granzel 108139 1,864,535 6/1932 Hach et al. 297-348 2,212,777 8/1940 Jones et al. 297241 2,446,376 8/1948 Littlejohn 297241 2,767,513 10/1956 Bluestone 248188.4 2,963,332 12/1960 Breuning 312231 3,350,151 10/1967 Phillips 312235 BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner G. O. FINCH, Assistant Examiner 

